Sully Comes Home
by Tori9226
Summary: Booth has managed to injure himself yet again and must take a bit of time from work. When an old friend takes his place, the team is thrown into a new case. One that takes the team for one hell of a ride and brings back yet another familiar face.
1. Chapter 1

_I hadn't tried writing in forever, and now I'm wondering why I ever left the fanfic world. I haven't written in a while, so bear with me if you catch any mistakes or people OOC. I hope you enjoy my story :) _

_**DISCLAIMER:**__ I don't own Bones. (But if Hart Hanson is looking for a camera operator for his show I would gladly volunteer!) _

-B&B-

"So how many broken bones does this make?"

Booth looked over at his wife as she pulled his SUV into their driveway.

"Oh haha," he sneered. "Like you don't already know the answer to that."

"Oh I'm very well aware," Brennan laughed. "Sometimes I just wonder if you are aware of that number.

They were parked now, and she got out to go around and help Booth.

"And it's not technically a break," he argued as he pushed open the door.

"It's a hairline fracture," Brennan stated, eyeing the large black booth covering his left leg. "It'll be one week until you are back in the office and another week until you are back in the field."

"Why the week at home?" Booth inquired, as they made their way to the door. "I thought hairline fractures weren't that bad?"

"It's partially to give you time to adjust to the boot," Brennan answered, unlocking the door. "And partially because our sitter isn't available and the Jeffersonian Day Care is still being renovated, so you will be with Christine this week while I'm at the lab."

"They are renovating the day care? I thought it was already top notch."

Booth hobbled over to the living room and dropped onto the couch. Brennan placed her bag on the coffee table and sat beside him.

"They are expanding to allow for more children."

"When is Ange bringing Christine home?"

"I texted her when we left the hospital," Brennan answered, double checking her phone. "She should be here any time, and she says to 'expect a lecture about jumping off of buildings.'"

"It wasn't _that_ high of a jump," Booth countered. "And I caught the dude."

"Booth it was nearly a ten foot drop. You are lucky that hill was there to help break your fall, otherwise you would have had several more broken bones."

"Again, not technically broken," Booth corrected her with a smile; he draped his arms across her shoulders and pulled her in for a kiss. "I caught the bad guy and now I have a beautiful wife to help nurse me back to help.

"So long as you don't overexert yourself you will be fine."

A sly smile spread across Booth's face, "Now where's the fun in that?"

He went in for another kiss, but the doorbell interrupted him. He groaned as she got up to answer the door. Leaning over, he adjusted the straps on the boot. Oh yeah, this thing was going to be annoying as hell for the next couple of weeks. When he looked up Brennan entered the room holding Christine, followed by Angela and Hodgins, who held Michael Vincent. Brennan placed Christine on the edge of the rug, and the little girl took a few wobbly steps before falling to her knees and crawling the last couple of feet to her dad.

"There's my girl," Booth beamed as he picked up the little girl and placed her in his lap. "Hey guys!"

"Hey Booth, maybe she can help teach you to walk!" Hodgins jeered.

Booth didn't bother to respond, he just shot Hodgins a pointed look. Then his eyes fell on Angela and that look faded real quick; she had her planted on her hips and was in full on overprotective mom mode.

"What were you thinking taking a jump like that?"

"Save it Ange," he laughed, somewhat nervously (she was quite terrifying when she was pissed off). "I already got the lecture from Bones."

"It true," Brennan said, reclaiming her seat beside Booth; Angela and Hodgins took a seat on the sofa opposite them, while Michael Vincent was placed on the floor and headed straight for the box of toys next to the other sofa.

"I caught the guy, didn't I?" Booth laughed; Christine was playing with his tie. "The murder is behind bars, that's what counts."

The looks he received from Brennan and Angela said otherwise.

"So how long do we have to deal with a new agent?" Hodgins asked, saving Booth from any further lectures from the women.

"Booth has requested that the FBI assign us an agent that we have worked with in the past," Brennan explained.

"My guess is you guys will get Perotta," Booth added. "Agent Shaw is on vacation with her son, and Agent Sparling is knee deep in a case."

"Perotta?" Hodgins groaned. "It's been years since we've dealt with her. Think she'll remember our system?"

"Honey I doubt she'll ever forget working with our team," Angela assured her husband with a pat to his knee.

"That's for sure," Booth muttered, gingerly placing Christine on the floor, she made it almost all the way to the toybox before collapsing to her knees and crawling. "The agent will come to the Jeffersonian tomorrow so you know who you will be working with."

The two couples sat and talked for another half hour or so, before Angela and Hodgins headed home to get dinner and get Michael ready for bed. Booth and Brennan eventually fell into their nightly routine as well and soon found themselves in bed.

"Thank god I don't have to sleep in that damn thing," Booth muttered. "This is going to be a long two weeks."

"You'll be back at work before you know it," Brennan assured him, reaching up to turn out the lamp beside her bed.

"Let's hope so," he opened his arms so she could curl up to him. "I don't like the idea of you going into the field without me."

"Booth, I'll still have an agent with me! There's no need to worry."

"Yes but that agent can't protect you like I can."

"Booth, I'll be fine. We don't even have a case, so there is no sense in getting all worried."

Still not completely convinced, he simply placed a kiss on the top of her head.

-B&B-

Brennan was sitting at her desk the next afternoon when a knock on the door and a familiar voice pulled her from her work.

"Tempe?"

_Surely not_, she thought. She looked up – nope, she heard right.

"Sully?" She stood, more out of shock than anything. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm the agent they assigned to you while Booth's on leave," he explained, stepping into her office; seeing the confusion on her face he quickly added: "I just got back about a month ago, and since I'm still not having any luck with that sub shop, I talked to Hacker. I needed a job, and he needed an agent. Plus I did miss getting to put bad guys away."

"I – well, welcome back!" she smiled, stepping over to give him a hug. "I didn't think I'd ever see you again once you sailed off."

"I didn't think I'd be back," he laughed. "How's everybody? I haven't had the chance to talk to anybody else yet."

"Everybody is good – just curious, how much contact have you had since being gone?"

"None whatsoever – cell signal was sparse down the coast. Why?"

Brennan smiled, "Just curious. A lot has happened over the past few years. You have a lot to get caught up on if you are to be working with this team again."

"Geez, did I miss that much?"

"Hey Bones, I – SULLY?"

Brennan and Sully both turned to see Booth making his way into her office, pushing Christine in her stroller.

"Booth!" Sully went over to give his friend a hug.

"Booth what are you doing here?" Brennan scolded. "You are supposed to be at home resting."

"Eh Christine and I got bored so we thought we would come visit – Sully when did you get back?"

"About a month ago," Sully smiled, looking down at the little girl. "This your girl?"

"Ours, actually," Brennan smiled, stepping over to stand beside Booth.

"Woah," Sully laughed, a grin spreading across his face. "Now Booth, I distinctly remember you telling me you didn't want her like that."

"Yeah I lied," Booth said; Sully laughed.

"Congrats you guys," he beamed. "But now I see what you mean when you said I had some catching up to do. What else could have possibly happened?"

"Remember my assistant Zach?" Brennan asked, pulling Christine from her stroller and passing her over to Sully; he grinned as the little girl began to play with his tie.

"Vaguely," Sully said. "Really socially awkward kid?"

"That's Zach," Booth chuckled. "Turns out he worked for a serial killer."

"Booth," Brennan elbowed him in the side. "He didn't work for a serial killer, he was merely fooled by faulty logic. Also, Angela and Hodgins are married and have a son."

"I see you are still excellent with your topic transitions," Sully commented, making Booth laugh.

The group made their way to Brennan's couch and chairs to spend the next hour getting caught up and swapping stories. They only stopped when Sully's phone rang.

"Grab your gear Tempe," he grinned, snapping his phone shut. "We've got a case."


	2. Chapter 2

_So I got a surprising amount of requests to continue this story…so here we go! Thank you all for the feedback, it really does help quite a lot and it is amazing encouragement to keep writing. Bear with me when it comes to the scientific stuff in this case – it's not my strong point and this will be my first multi-chapter case for Bones._

_I hope you enjoy chapter two!_

**-B&B-**

Just as Sully snapped his phone shut Cam entered Brennan's office, her nose currently buried in a case file.

"Dr. Brennan we've got a case – body in a ditch off the highw-" she finally looked up to see Sully grinning up at her. "Sully! What in the world are you doing here?"

"I'm taking you guys to get the dude in the ditch," he informed her as passed Christine back to Booth and got got up to hug his old friend.

"We have no way yet of knowing that it was a dude," Brennan added, getting up to put her gear into her old messenger bag.

"Booth you couldn't even make it one full day without coming to the lab?" Cam laughed and waved and the happily babbling toddler on his lap.

"Christine wanted to see her momma," Booth defended as he gathered her in his arms and went to place her in the stroller.

"Right – blame the toddler," Sully laughed.

Cam and Brennan left to go find Dr. Hodgins, leaving Booth and Sully alone. The moment the women were out of earshot Booth rounded on Sully.

"Save it," Sully raised his hand to cut him off before he could begin. "She's safe with me. I will not let anything happen to her."

Sully extended his hand for a handshake, and Booth accepted it with a smirk.

"If anything happens to her I'll-"

"You'll hunt me down and beat my ass," Sully finished with a laugh. "I know. She'll be okay. I promise."

Booth was about to correct him – it wouldn't just be an ass beating – but a high pitched "dada!" made him look down. Christine had her arms extended up at her father, indicating she wanted to be held. Booth chuckled and reached down to pick her up once more. She did always hate that stroller…

"She's beautiful Seeley," Sully smiled. "But between yours and Tempe's genes…that is going to be one stubborn little girl."

"Don't remind me," Booth laughed.

Hearing Booth's laugh led Christine to let out a shrill laugh, making both men smile.

"So it's true!"  
>Cam and Brennan had re-entered the office, followed by Angela. Sully greeted the artist and received a hug.<p>

"You guys ready?" Sully turned to Brennan and Cam.

"Yes – Hodgins is getting the last of his stuff and will meet us at the crime scene," Cam informed him.

Brennan kissed Booth and Christine goodbye before following Cam and Sully out the door. Booth called to Sully one more time:

"Don't let her do anything stupid!"

Sully didn't turn around, but Booth heard him laugh and saw him flash a thumbs up. Both of them knew if Brennan put her mind to something, she was going to do it.

Angela reached over to take Christine from Booth, "It's Sully – she'll be fine."

"Doesn't mean I'm not gonna worry," Booth sighed; he reached over to brush a blond strand of hair from Christine's eyes. "I hate not being out in the field –"

"Especially when she is out there without you," Angela finished with a smile. "No need for jealousy – it's just one body in a ditch. Nothing major."

"So where is Michael at since daycare is closed?"

"Nice subject change," she smirked. "My dad is in town, so Michael is hanging out with his grandpa for a few days."

Angela strapped Christine back into the stroller (much to the little girls disappointment) and looked up at Booth.

"You know Sully will keep her safe. Go home, relax. Spend time with your little girl. We will keep you posted on what is going on."

**-B&B-**

"Female," Brennan observed. "Mid 20s."

They were just off the highway, luckily not an extremely busy one, in a particularly deep ditch. The ground was wet and the remains were caked in mud and bits of grass and garbage.

"The remains appear to be mainly skeletonized," Brennan continued, wiping away some mud around the ribs. "But I've got some flesh here."

"No clear cause of death yet," Cam stopped suddenly, honing in on a section of the skull. "Scratch that – I think we've got a bullet hole."

"Think?" Sully called down from his spot up on the top of the ditch.

"The flesh in this area is extremely damaged," she explained. "I won't know much more until we get her back to the lab."

"I agree," Brennan added. "There isn't much more we can get from here. Dr. Hodgins have you collected enough samples?"

"Just got my last one," Hodgins held up a test tube to the sunlight. "Looks like something metallic in here; I'll be able to ID it back at the lab."

Jeffersonian employees began to climb down into the ditch while Brennan, Cam and Hodgins made their way out. While the trio stripped out of their muddy gear, Sully sent the basic information they had to Angela in hopes they could at least begin to narrow down the victim pool.

One hour later, the group had made it back to the lab and unloaded the body on the platform. Arastoo was making his preliminary observations while Angela circled the body snapping photos.

"What have you found Mr. Vaziri?" Cam stepped onto the platform.

"You were right about the bullet wound," he started. "XRAYs show a bullet still lodged in the skull."

"No exit?" Cam asked, pulling the image up on the monitor. "That's a small caliber - .22?"

"That's most likely," Arastoo confirmed. "XRAYs also revealed several breaks in the bones, but they are most likely from being thrown into the ditch. Possibly from a moving car?"

"I'm going to go upload the skull and start on a reconstruction," Angela said before disappearing to her office.

Brennan stepped up on to the platform, and proceeded to go over the XRAYs while Hodgins came to begin collecting particulates from the body, while Cam took the last of her tissue samples and headed to her office to run tests.

Hodgins was able to pull the bullet from the skull (embedded in the forehead) and once he had pulled all other little bits of garbage (candy wrappers, bits of paper, even an old condom wrapper) he disappeared back into his office to run tests. Brennan approved Arastoo to get the bones cleaned, and she made her way to her own office to begin the preliminary paperwork.

Only an hour later her phone beeped with a message from Angela.

**My office. NOW.**

Brennan abandoned her paperwork and headed straight for Angela's office, and found the rest of the team arriving as well. Even Sweets and Sully were there.

"Ange what's going on," Hodgins asked, worry evident in his tone.

"Hold on," she said – her voice was strained; something was definitely **not** okay.

She tapped a few buttons on her tablet and a video chat screen popped up, and Booth answered a split second later.

"Angela what the hell is going on?" Booth asked.

"Okay," she took a deep breath. "I finished the facial reconstruction and I got a positive ID."

An image popped up on the second monitor (and in the lower corner of Booth's screen) of a woman with long dark red hair, a square face with bangs that nearly touched her stormy grey eyes.

"Savanah Harper," Cam read.

"24," Sully continued. "Missing just over five weeks."

"Ange what did you call us all in here for?" Brennan asked. "This appears to be our victim, and we all trust your artistic abilities."

"I'm not worried about my reconstruction," Angela smiled sadly. "It's where the victim is _from_."

It was silent for a moment as the group read, but Sweets quickly broke the silence.

"Oh…god," he breathed.

"McKinley Psyciatric Hospital?" Arastoo frowned. "I'm sorry…I don't know the significance?"

"That is where Dr. Zack Addy is being held," Booth groaned. 

**-B&B-**

_Thanks for those readers that came back and to the readers that are joining the story! I'm a student, so I can't promise daily updates, but I am already working on the next chapter and I will have it up soon!_

_Drop a review and let me know what you think! _


	3. Chapter 3

_I am SO sorry it has taken so long to get this chapter up. School has been absolutely BONKERS and I've been crazy busy. Thank you to those who are back and thank you to the new readers! YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME. Okay. Enough with my lame ramblings. ON WITH THE STORY!_

_3_

-B&B-

47 minutes after Angela's ID, Booth had dropped off Christine with Angela's father and arrived at the lab. Now the group sat up in the overlook around the large glass table, still in complete shock.

"You know he is going to probably be the prime suspect," Sully said quietly from the head of the table.

The whole group looked defeated. Arastoo held Cam's hand, while Angela linked her arm through Hodgins'. Sweets was leaned back in his chair staring up at the ceiling, Brennan sat beside him, staring down at the platform. Booth was standing behind her, his hands placed protectively on the back of her chair.

"There is nobody else who could be a prime suspect from that place?" Arastoo asked.

"Zack is the only one with 'murderous tendencies'," Sweets sighed. "I just can't believe it. He's been doing so well lately. I was thinking we could get him out of there within the next year or so."

"You just used the words 'murderous tendencies' to describe him," Sully said confused. "And you think he was in a condition to be released?"

"Easy Sully," Booth cautioned. "The kid might not have made the smartest choice but you are talking to the people who still love him."

Sully looked around the table at the depressed faces of the Jeffersonian crew and mumbled his apology.

"He's been in that facility for nearly seven years," Sweets continued. "I meet with him once a month, and through my talks with him I believe he was finally understanding that he was being delusional."

"We might be overreacting," Cam spoke up. "The only thing we know about this woman is that the nurses reported her missing 38 days ago. Zack might not have even been involved."

"My last session with him was four days before the victim went missing," Sweets groaned, covering his face with his hands.

Upon seeing Sully's confused look Booth explained Zack's brief escape a few years back.

"I just saw him two weeks ago," Hodgins sighed. "He seemed completely fine. He never mentioned that somebody had gone missing."

"You know Zack," Angela smiled sadly. "Unless you directly ask him, he won't bring it up. Are we going to be able to work this case? This won't be a conflict of interest?"

"Hodgins and Brennan kindly reminded me earlier there is no better team to solve the case," Sully said. "I spoke with Hacker and he has approved you to work on the case so long as you don't let your emotions take over because at that point he will turn the case over to another team. As Zack is not technically family, there is nothing preventing you from being completely unbiased. Just be aware I am going to have to question him."

"We know," Brennan answered for the team. "But I want to be there when you do."

"Tempe are you sure that is a good idea?" Sully inquired.

"You'll need here in there Sully," Booth informed him.

"Why?"

"Because she and I are probably the only two people who can follow his jumpy little brain," Hodgins smiled. "And I'll be here working so it's got to be her."

Sully nodded before turning to Sweets, "You said your last session with him was right before the victim disappeared? When is your next session?"

"It was supposed to be last week but I had to reschedule for the day after tomorrow."

"I'll go with you then," Sully decided.

"And me," Brennan reminded him.

"What do we do until then?" Hodgins asked.

"Our jobs," Cam answered. "We work to figure out what happened to the victim."

"The bones are being cleaned as we speak," Arastoo spoke up. "They'll be ready for us by morning."

"I'll download all the files I can find about this woman and her friends from the FBI database," Angela added. "We'll find out what happened."

Sully began to form a plan, explaining that Sweets would go about the visit as usual. When Sweets felt the time was appropriate he would ask why Zack had not mentioned the missing girl, then explain what was going on and that Sully was going to have to speak with him. Cam decided to send everybody home for the night, giving them time to recover from the shock of the news. As the squints separated to their offices, Booth pulled Sully aside.

"I may not be able to go into the field but I want to be kept in the loop on this one," he demanded. "I worked with that kid for three years and he means the world to this team. I want this done very carefully."

"Don't worry Seeley," Sully started. "I've already spoken with Hacker and he wants you to consult on this case. Everybody is under orders to act with extreme caution until Zack is cleared as a suspect - which will happen. I remember that kid; there is no way he is a killer."

Booth expressed his thanks then made his way slowly – "Damn boot," he muttered – down to Brennan's office. He leaned against the doorframe, watching her gather her materials into her messenger bag.

"You really should be resting your leg," she said as she slung her bag over her shoulder.

"I'll be fine," he assured her. "Are _you _okay?"

She didn't respond; she merely just shut down her computer and met him at the door.

"Bones," he hooked a finger under her chin, forcing her to look at him. "It's okay to be upset."

"I'm not upset I'm…" she groaned in frustration. "I don't _know _how I feel."

"It's okay Bones," Booth pulled her into a hug. "We don't have all the facts yet. It's okay to be confused."

"Booth what happens if Zack is somehow involved in this?"

Booth just held her against him for a moment, not knowing what to say. It killed him that he couldn't give her an answer. Her walls were down right now and he couldn't give her the support he knew she wanted.

"We are going to clear him as a suspect Bones," he insisted. "Zack is _not_ a killer."

"Then why-"

"Oh come on Bones," he said softly, pulling away to look down at her. "You know as well as I do Zack is incapable of killing somebody-"

"In fact he is very capable-"

"Bones, I only knew the kid for three years and I know damn well if it had come down to it he would not be able to do it. We are talking about the kid who could barely lift a box here. Zack Addy is not a killer. Sweets, Hodgins and even Sully agree with me."

Brennan was silent as she absorbed this information. Booth kept one arm wrapped around her shoulders as they made their way to his SUV. After a brief argument over who should drive ("You shouldn't have even been able to drive here," Brennan scolded) Brennan was behind the wheel and they were on their way to pick up Christine from Angela and Hodgins' house.

"Hey guys," Hodgins greeted them at the door. "Come on in. You just missed Angela's dad – he left to go visit a friend."

In the living room, they found Angela sitting on the floor with Christine and Michael Vincent playing blocks.

"Hey," she smiled up at them. "Dad said Christine was an absolute angel."

"Tell him thank you for us," Brennan grinned at her little girl as she took a seat on the couch beside Booth.

"How are you guys doing?" Booth asked.

"Still in complete and utter shock," Hodgins collapsed into a chair with a sigh.

"But this could all still be for nothing like Cam said," Angela added. "All we know is this girl went missing from the same psychiatric institution where Zack is being held. It could just be a giant coincidence."

"Let's hope," Hodgins muttered.

The group sat in silence for a few moments, just watching the two toddlers play.

"Booth?" Angela spoke up. "Sully won't be too hard on Zack, will he?"

"I won't let him," Brennan answered before Booth could speak.

"Guys he is going to have to ask some tough questions," Booth reminded them. "But he won't be mean to Zack. I mean…this is Zack. It's been a while but Sully has worked with the kid before. He knows what he is like."

"He seemed skeptical earlier," Hodgins commented.

"Sully is just processing the case like the rest of us," Booth explained. "We may not like it but right now Zack is our only _possible_ suspect. And I emphasize possible."

Angela looked like she was about to say something but a large yawn from Michael Vincent, quickly followed by a yawn from Christine ended any argument she would have made.

"Looks like its bedtime," Brennan chuckled.

"For now just get some sleep," Booth advised. "Tomorrow we will all hit the ground running and prove that Zack is in no way connected to this case."

They said their goodbyes, and soon enough Christine was fast asleep in her own crib and Boot and Brennan were climbing into their bed.

"Tomorrow Mr. Vaziri and I will go over the bones to see if we can make sense of the injuries the victim suffered," Brennan said.

"And I'll be with Angela in her office going over all the files we have on her," Booth added. "I texted Max, he is going to watch Christine for us tomorrow – he even offered to take Michael to give Angela's dad a break. We will catch this killer Bones. And the first step in doing so is clearing Zack's name."

Brennan simply nodded and clicked off the light before snuggling up to Booth's chest.

"I love you Booth."

"I love you too, Bones."

**-B&B-**

_OH MAN. I am so sorry this isn't longer but __**I am**__ working on the next chapter and I will have it up just as soon as I can. Thank you again to those who came back to this story and thank you to the new readers who gave it a shot :)_

_YOU GUYS ROCK!_


	4. Chapter 4

"So why was this girl even in the psych hospital?"

Angela stood in front of her big screen waiting on the last of the FBI files to download. Booth was sitting on the couch looking over the victims hospital file.

"Both her parent and her younger brother were killed in a car crash" Booth explained. "She fell into a deep depression and was put on suicide watch two weeks before she disappeared."

"A girl is placed on suicide watch and ends up murdered?" Cam entered the office with a file in her hands.

"Find something?" Angela asked.

"Tox screen came back negative for any poisons," Cam replied.

"So the gun shot was the definite cause of death?" Booth looked up from his pile of paperwork.

"Arastoo is double checking the bones now to confirm," Cam said; and sensing the upcoming question she added: "Brennan just left with Sweets – he had the appointment moved to an earlier time so we could clear Zack as quick as possible."

Before Booth could comment Arastoo and Hodgins entered to office, confirming it was a .22 caliber pistol to the back of the skull that was official cause of death.

"Any luck with some new suspects?" Hodgins asked anxiously, eyeing the spread of information on Angela's screen.

"It just finished downloading before you came in," Angela replied, turning to her computer.

"What is all that?" Cam asked.

"Every file on every person in that hospital," Angela replied.

"You can do that?" Arastoo asked, surprised.

"Booth made a call," Angela smiled.

"In the interest of full cooperation and wanting this cleared up quickly they sent us everything they had," Booth explained. "They want to make sure Zack is cleared just as much as we do."

"Evidently the weirdo is still as loveable as ever," Cam smiled.

"Dr. Madalyn Connell is the lead there," Angela read. "She's been there for 15 years and has three doctorates from the Harvard University Medical Program."

"Has the hospital ever had issues before?" Arastoo asked.

"The occasional unruly patient but never anybody missing or murdered," Angela said.

"Hodgins were you able to identify that metallic fragment?" Cam questioned.

"Yea it was –" seeing Booth's quirked eyebrow he decided to go with the less sciencey version. "- a piece of a bumper. From an early 2000s Ford Explorer."

"She was hit by a car?" Booth wondered aloud.

"That would explain some of the bone damage," Arastoo answered, then turned to Angela. "Perhaps once you finish with these files we can work on a simulation to explain the injuries?"

"Of course," the artist agreed.

"When will Bones and Sweets be done at McKinley?" Booth asked.

"You know Zack," Cam smiled. "They could be there for two hours or ten."

Booth mumbled something about how he should be out in the field with them.

"She's with Sully and Sweets," Hodgins pointed out. "She'll be fine. Honestly it's Sully I'm worried about. He probably doesn't remember how Zack is."

"You need to keep off your foot G-Man," Angela smirked as she scrolled through files. "Missing a big case is your punishment for jumping off of a building."

"Hey at least I caught they guy."

"She's right Booth – keep off your foot," Cam ordered.

"Oh it wasn't even that far of a fall – right guys?" Booth looked to the men for back up.

"Sorry Booth," Arastoo smiled. "She's my boss _and_ girlfriend. I'm required to take her side."

Hodgins merely shrugged and apologized. "It was a pretty badass jump though," he added, earning a jab in the side from his wife.

"Stay off the foot Seeley," Cam ordered once more as she turned to leave.

"Thanks Camille," he groaned.

"Don't call me Camille," she tossed back.

"Don't call me Seeley!"

* * *

><p>"Tempe are you sure you want to be here for this?" Sully looked at the woman beside him.<p>

"I'll be fine," though it sounded like she was assuring herself more than her temporary partner. "It's just been a while since I've spoken to him."

"When's the last time you saw the kid?"

"The time he broke out to help us with a case."

"Seriously? You never came to visit? I always thought he was your favorite."

Brennan was silent for a moment as she thought about her answer. Currently the pair were standing just outside the visitation room where Sweets currently sat with her former intern.

"As many times as Booth has told me what happened was not my fault … I still feel some responsibility for what happened to him."

"Tempe …"

"He was my intern Sully," she sighed. "I worked beside him for years … I should have noticed what was going on."

"You weren't the only one who didn't notice," Sully tried to comfort her. "What he did went unnoticed by all of you. This is not your fault."

Before Brennan could argue, Sweets appeared and invited them in. Brennan took a deep breath and stepped through the door to come face to face with her former intern. He looked up at her as she entered, a bit of surprise flashing in his eyes. Brennan took in the sight of him as she sat down: his hair was back to its unruly state, and the thick black gloves still covered his hands. His dark grey hospital uniform was slightly wrinkled, like he had just woken up.

"Zack, you remember Agent Sullivan," Sweets introduced as the group sat down.

"Yes, you worked with us on the case where a woman was eaten by an alligator," Zack recounted.

"And the creepy guys who brought Tempe's book to life," Sully smiled. "Good to see you again Zack."

"Wait, what?"

"Dr. Sweets that was before you came along," Brennan explained.

"How've you been Dr. Brennan?" Zack asked, ending the small talk. "I can tell by your gait you've given birth. Booth's, I hope?"

Brennan couldn't help but smile – he was still as intuitive as ever.

"Damn how long have you and Booth been dancing around each other?" Sully smirked.

"From day one," Sweets and Zack answered in unison.

"Sweets you weren't even there when we met," Brennan argued.

"Angela likes to talk," Zack commented, causing Brennan to roll her eyes.

The group fell into an awkward silence for a moment before Sully cleared his throat and began to question Zack. Sully explained what had happened and began to ask the basic questions – how well did he know her? Why was she here?

"I'm unaware of her official diagnosis, but I can tell you it is not as severe as mine."

Seeing the confused look on Sully's face, Sweets stepped in to explain that patients are separated based on their diagnosis. As Zack had one of the most severe cases, he was kept separated from the victim due to her less severe diagnosis.

"Zack is there anything you can tell us about Ms. Harper?" Brennan asked.

"I can tell you I didn't kill her."

There was an uncomfortable silence before Brennan spoke up: "Zack nobody is accusing you-"

"It's been a few years since I have worked a case, but I am still familiar with the procedure," Zack smiled sadly. "I'm assuming Angela called you all into her office when she finished the facial reconstruction and it led you here. As I'm still technically considered the most dangerous patient-"

"Which is ridiculous," Brennan mumbled, making Zack smile.

"That makes me the prime suspect," he finished.

Sweets couldn't help but smile. Much like Dr. Brennan, he had grown quite a lot over the years. He was still Zack and therefore quite awkward at times, but he had come a long way. For the next forty minutes Sully questioned Zack about everything. Brennan of course had to step in and translate occasionally. Even after Sully had exhausted each lead possible, they had not learned much from Zack. He had truly not known the girl.

"Thank you Zack," Brennan said.

"For what?" he looked puzzled. "I was not able to give you any valuable information."

"Zack you have pretty much removed yourself as a suspect," Sully explained.

"Everybody knows how you operate Zack- if you say you don't know, then we believe you" Sweets added.

Brennan's phone buzzed in her pocket with a message from Booth – they had some new information. After saying goodbye to Zack (this time with a promise from Brennan to come visit) Sully, Sweets and Brennan made their way back to the lab to share the news of Zack's information.

* * *

><p><em>Authors Note:<em>

_I'm so sorry it's taken so long to update but school has been a little hectic. Thanks for reading my story and I hope you enjoy it! Next chapter in the works :)_


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